Box of laminaria tents, 1871-1900.

These items are also referred to as Sea-Tangle tents and are a genus of seaweed. Each �tent� is a cylinder about 5-10 cm long made from the dried stalk of the marine plant Laminaria digitata. They are inserted into the cervical canal when they are dry and slowly expand as they absorb water, dilating the cervix. They are contained in a cardboard box, which has a label that lists their advantages and notes that they were introduced by Sir James Simpson (1811-70).